People can now donate the cost of a marmalade sandwich to a food bank

In response to marmalade sandwiches being left outside Buckingham Palace as a tribute to the Queen, two friends have set up a fundraiser allowing people to donate the cost of Paddington Bear’s favourite snack to a food bank.

Let Them Eat Sarnies was created by Gabriella Holmes and Saphire Favell after the Royal Parks asked people to stop leaving the edible tributes because of the impact on wildlife.

“We’re two creatives who were sad to see marmalade sandwiches getting left in the streets when food banks are in crisis,” Holmes told the Big Issue. 

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“We wanted to offer a way for people to ‘Pay Respects Forward’, offering a tribute to the Queen that goes directly to the people who need it at Food Bank Aid. Hopefully some good can come out of a very sad situation.”

Each virtual sarnie costs £3, and you can donate up to 1,000 of them to the charity Food Aid Network. 

A message on the website for Let Them Eat Sarnies says: “A ton of marmalade sandwiches are being left out as tributes for the Queen. At the same time, several food banks are closing for the funeral when 700,000 people in the UK rely on them.

“Let Them Eat Sarnies lets you gift the equivalent of a marmalade sarnie (or 1000) to the people who really need it.”

Earlier this year, the Queen took part in a sketch for her Platinum Jubilee where she was filmed eating marmalade sandwiches alongside Paddington. 

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The beloved bear takes a marmalade sandwich out of his hat, which he stashes away for emergencies, and offers it to the Queen. But she’s well-prepared and pulls a sarnie out of her handbag. 

The charity Royal Parks has made a plea to mourners to stop leaving marmalade sandwiches because of the “negative impact on the park’s wildlife”. They also ask that people don’t leave artefacts (such as teddy bears).

“Any form of floral tribute is acceptable,” a message on the charity’s website said. “In the interests of sustainability, we ask visitors to only lay organic or compostable material.”

And so, the idea for Let Them Eat Sarnies was born. Through the website, you can donate the cost of one, 10, 100 or 1,000 marmalade sandwiches. All donations will go to Food Bank Aid, a grassroots charity which is tackling the daily challenge of food poverty in North London.

You could also take the idea on yourself and donate the cost of however many sandwiches you like to charities and food banks in your local area.

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